Genesis 33:4

Posted on February 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 33:4 Currens itaque Esau obviam fratri suo, amplexatus est eum: stringensque collum eius, et osculans flevit.

And Esau, running to meet his brother, embraced him; and, clasping his neck and kissing him, he wept.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Currens running PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 itaque therefore / and so CONJ
3 Esau Esau NOM.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
4 obviam to meet ADV (W/ DAT)
5 fratri brother DAT.SG.M
6 suo his DAT.SG.M (REFL.POSS.ADJ)
7 amplexatus embraced NOM.SG.M (PERF.PTCP.DEP)
8 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
9 eum him ACC.SG.M (PRON)
10 stringensque and clasping PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M + ENCLITIC -QUE
11 collum neck ACC.SG.N
12 eius his GEN.SG.M (POSS.PRON)
13 et and CONJ
14 osculans kissing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
15 flevit he wept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Introductory Circumstantial Clause: Currens itaque Esau obviam fratri suo — “And Esau, running to meet his brother.”
• Participle: Currens — nominative, describes Esau’s action simultaneous with embracing.
• Adverb: obviam — idiomatically with dative, “to meet.”
• Dative Phrase: fratri suo — “his brother,” indicating the person met.
• Conjunction: itaque — marks result or continuation in narrative.

Main Clause 1: amplexatus est eum — “he embraced him.”
• Verb Phrase: perfect deponent “amplexatus est,” meaning “embraced.”
• Object: eum — accusative, “him,” referring to Jacob.

Coordinated Participial Phrase: stringensque collum eius — “and clasping his neck.”
• Participle: stringens — expresses simultaneous or accompanying action.
• Object: collum eius — “his neck.”

Subsequent Action: et osculans flevit — “and kissing him, he wept.”
• Participle: osculans — expresses tenderness in motion.
• Main Verb: flevit — perfect, indicating emotional culmination.

Morphology

  1. Currens — Lemma: curro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle modifying “Esau”; Translation: “running”; Notes: Marks eager or hasty movement toward his brother.
  2. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective meaning “and so”; Translation: “therefore,” “and so”; Notes: Logical transition continuing narrative flow.
  3. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: subject of “amplexatus est”; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Subject of entire action sequence.
  4. obviam — Lemma: obviam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable (used with dative); Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “to meet”; Notes: Common idiom “obviam ire alicui.”
  5. fratri — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: object of adverb “obviam”; Translation: “to (his) brother”; Notes: Expresses direction toward person met.
  6. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratri”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers reflexively to Esau as subject.
  7. amplexatus — Lemma: amplector; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect participle; Function: part of perfect deponent “amplexatus est”; Translation: “embraced”; Notes: Deponent verb using passive form for active meaning.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary forming perfect tense of deponent verb; Translation: “has / was”; Notes: Used with “amplexatus.”
  9. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as recipient of embrace.
  10. stringensque — Lemma: stringo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine + enclitic -que; Function: expresses accompanying gesture; Translation: “and clasping”; Notes: Shows continuation of affectionate action.
  11. collum — Lemma: collum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “stringens”; Translation: “neck”; Notes: Represents physical embrace.
  12. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “collum”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possessive reference to Jacob.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects final action phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connector before climax of sentence.
  14. osculans — Lemma: osculor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle preceding “flevit”; Translation: “kissing”; Notes: Conveys gesture of reconciliation.
  15. flevit — Lemma: fleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he wept”; Notes: Marks emotional conclusion of reunion.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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